The President's lies are already legend. He is a serial liar...eradicating truth on topics of both monumental and microscopic importance. If you total the lies of all previous presidents, you have to go back somewhere near Andrew Jackson to equal Trump's efforts. But, then again, it's only been fourth months.

Back to Mike Pence. The Vice President is an oily dude. He reminds me of a Southern Baptist minister I knew growing up in Florida. His speaking style is as conservative as his suits...his silver white hair befitting of grand pa...and his quick-draw references to family values makes you want to grab Old Glory and start waving madly.

The trouble is...Mike Pence is just as big a liar as his boss. Don't let the lack of bull-in-a-china-shop recklessness fool you. He tells lies in more hushed tones...his face always evidencing a look of profound concern.

Proof? Well, Pence said he didn't know until sometime in March that Michael Flynn, the President's National Security Adviser, was under investigation by the F.B.I. for lobbying for Turkey...and not disclosing it.

But, Flynn has stated - and members of Trump's transition team have admitted - that they knew about his secret, paid lobbying for Turkey during the campaign.

Maryland's Elijah Cummings, ranking member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, wrote Pence on Nov. 18, stating in no uncertain terms that “Lt. Gen. Flynn’s General Counsel and Principal, Robert Kelley, confirmed that they were hired by a foreign company to lobby for Turkish interests."

Cummings went on to explain: "They want to keep posted on what we all want to be informed of: the present situation, the transition between President Obama and President-Elect Trump."

Kelley, when asked whether the firm had been hired because of Lt. Gen. Flynn’s close ties to President-elect Trump, said, "I hope so."

So, how is it that Vice President Pence didn't lie? Remember, he headed the Trump Transition Team...so, you think he wasn't briefed between November and March about Flynn's Turkish ties?

And, I know he's a busy man, but do you think that letter from Representative Cummings just sunk to the bottom of his in-basket?

Look, we know Pence lies. Who doesn't remember his performances during the Vice Presidential Debates last year? He said on at least four occasions that Donald Trump didn't say things captured on national television.

Just because you are soft-spoken and don't resemble Benito Mussolini doesn't mean you're telling the truth. Sorry, but this "good cop-bad cop" act between the President and Vice President isn't working for a steadily increasing number of Americans and others worldwide.

The relatively new Special Counsel - Bob Mueller - is at work even as you read this, ferreting out facts and truths about what this Administration has been doing with Russia and others...and who was doing it.

Mueller will get answers...because they exist. Hell, if I found some in Vernon, B.C., I've got to think the F.B.I. will find even more. It's a numbers game...and they have a lot more Special Agents and forensics specialists than I do.

I've been in the White House. It has stood as a symbol of the world's greatest democracy for 241 years. I've met six Presidents...Democrats and Republicans...all impressive.

Never have there been more lies...Never. I'm weary of the deceptions...and I think most Americans and people worldwide are, as well.

There is no honour in lying. But you can re-claim a small measure of honour by admitting a lie. Both Trump and Pence have told some whoppers. But getting caught in lies...and stubbornly refusing to admit your mistakes? Well, that's arrogance...at the very least...and possibly against the law.

Will these two - America's highest elected officials - do the right thing...and beg forgiveness? I don't know. I think probably not.

Americans have proven over time that they can forgive poor judgment...honest mistakes. They've done it with past Presidents...Reagan and Iran-Contra, Clinton and Monica Lewinsky.

But there's something about lying to the American public that's not easily forgiven. Nixon and Watergate. Lyndon Johnson and Vietnam. It's like lying to a spouse...those bonds of trust aren't so easy to re-tie.

Both Donald Trump and Mike Pence are going to have a wake-up calls soon enough. In terms of style, they couldn't be farther apart. They may well discover that lies - whether delivered in a measured, soft-spoken way or in bold fashion - have everything to do with substance and not so much to do with style.

– Don Thompson, an American awaiting Canadian citizenship, lives in Vernon and in Florida. In a career that spans more than 40 years, Don has been a working journalist, a speechwriter and the CEO of an advertising and public relations firm. A passionate and compassionate man, he loves the written word as much as fine dinners with great wines. His essays are a blend of news reporting and opinion.

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